Cattle-guard.



I PATENTBD MAR. 28, 1905.

A TTOHNE) E. J. URANDELL. CATTLE GUARD.

APPLICATION FILED FEB 6 1905 UNITED STATES Patented March 28, 1905.

PATENT ()EEIcE.

EDGAR JAMES CRANDELL, OF MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TOHENRY M. THOMAS, ()F MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE.

CATTLE-GUARD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 786,197, dated March28, 1905. Application filed February 6, 1905. Serial No. 244,409.

To all whmn it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDGAR JAMEs CRAN- DELL, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Memphis, in the county of Shelby and State ofTennessee, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cattle-Guards; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the in vention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates generally to cattleguards for railroad-tracks,and particularly to that type of such guards in which the weight of thetrespassing animal operates a gate which forms a barrier across thetrack and prevents further progress of the animal along the track; andit has for its object to provide a simple, durable, and comparativelyinexpensive cattle-guard adapted to be expeditiously removed from andarranged in place on a railway-track and which automatically returns toits normal position when the weight of the animal is removed therefrom;and it consists of the parts and combination of parts hereinafterdescribed and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification,Figure 1 is a perspective view of a section of railway-track, showing myimproved cattle-guard in position thereon; and Fig. 2 is a detailperspective view, on an enlarged scale, with parts broken away to showthe arrangement of the underlying parts.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout both the views.

Referring to the drawings, A represents the ties, and B the rails, of arailway-track. Arranged between the rails of the track and on a planelower than the upper surface of said rails and at a short distance fromthe rails at each side is a platform C, constructed of planks arrangedside by side and secured by cleats bolted or otherwise rigidly fastenedacross the lower or bottom sides of the planks, so as to provide astrong and durable platform. The platform rests on one of the ties atone end and also at a point near or at its center of length on theadjacent tie, but does on the free or unsupported end of the platform itwill be depressed and its opposite end tilted. At each side of one endof the platform is rigidly secured an arm E, which is bent or curveddownwardly and is pivotally secured between the ears or lugs a at theend of a segment-gear F, which is pivoted between the horizontalsupports C, which are arranged between and rest on two adjacent ties,said segment F meshing with a similar segmental gear G, also pivotedbetween the supports 1) and formed or provided with an arm H, which isbolted to the longitudinal cleats c of a gate D. The gate D restsnormally on the ties of the track, as shown, and both it and theplatform are so arranged thereon as to permit the passage of trainsthereover without interference.

The platform is tilted by the weight of the animal stepping thereon, soas to raise the arms'E of the segment-gears F, as shown by dotted lines,Fig. 2, and thus partly turn or rotate the gears F, which in turn rotatethe gears G, and thus lift the gate D to an upright position, as shownby the dotted lines, Fig. 1, so as to form a barrier across the track solong as the animal remains 011 the platform.

The length of the platform is such that the animal cannot proceedthereon sufliciently far to cause its weight to depress the end of theplatform after it has been tilted and the gate raised or lifted to itsvertical position aside from the fact that the tilting of the platformhas a tendency to frighten the animal and cause it to quickly move offthe platform and away from the same.

It will be observed that the device may be quickly removed from andarranged on a track at any desired point along the same, as it is notsecured or attached in any manner thereto, but simply rests on the tiesbetween the rails, and that it does not form an obstacle to the passageof trains, as the gate automatically returns to its lowered positionbelow the plane of the rails immediately upon the removal of the Weightof the animal from the platform.

similargears meshing with the first-named I 5 gears and pivotallysupported between the platform and the gate, and arms secured to theplatform and pivotally connected to said last-named gears, whereby thetilting of the platform imparts a rotary motion to both 20 sets ofgears.

In testimony whereof I affix my slgnature 1n presence of two wltnesses.

EDGAR JAMES ORANDELL.

Witnesses:

JAMES BRETT, Jr., D. J. REEDER.

